Road Rage

Heart pumping, veins bulging, blood pressure rising, fists clentched, yelling insults through your closed windows; another driver has just cut you off in heavy traffic. Have you ever experienced road rage? If you answered no, then you might be in denial like I was. Road rage is when a driver becomes enraged and commits aggressive acts toward another driver such as: rude gestures, accelerating, quick lane changes, physical attacks, violent honking, making threats, screaming, and swearing. I didn’t believe that I was a road rage driver until I was stuck in traffic behind someone driving 10 miles below the speed limit and I violently switched lanes to get around that person. I might have even swore once or twice. But who doesn’t right? I realize now that I, along with many other people, let the anger takeover because of stress, running late, driving behind an unexperienced driver, and driving in heavy traffic. Road rage has even become so common that it has been diagnosed as a mental disorder called intermittent explosive disorder.

Any driver can be affected by road rage. It is said to affect approximately 16 million Americans and is increasing by 7% each year. Stop denying that you may take part in the road rage phenomenon and start coping with it. Here are some tips to help keep the road rage away:

1. Allow yourself extra time to get to your destination so you aren’t in a rush.
2. If you start to feel angry at another driver, take deep breaths. If you can’t reduce the anger, pull over until the anger subsides.
3. Don’t drive when you are extremely stressed or emotional.
4. Make sure that you get enough sleep so that you aren’t cranky.
5. Listening to relaxing music will help keep the blood pressure low and you calm.
6. Drive in a car that is reliable and can get you where you want to go without any issues.

Basil Resale Sheridan wants to help you cope with your road rage. With over 200 reliable used cars and trucks to choose from that go through a 101 point inspection, Basil will have you driving in tranquility.

Kristen Prenatt